Irritation
by Hafl
Summary: Gwendoline is doing her best to deal with all a new term has to offer, including a complicated plan for revenge that can very easily go awry.
1. 01 Princess in a Tower

And here it began all over again. Once again, Gwendoline had to leave the warm and cosy family home, and spend time at those dreary Malory Towers with its dreadful games and walks, that weren't going to stop, even in winter. She already felt like crying and that horrible school wasn't even in sight yet.

She drew closer to her mother, who gave up seat in the front of the car to Miss Winters, so she could sit in the back with her daughter. Gwendoline was glad for that, even though mother failed again at persuading father to transfer Gwendoline into a more fashionable school, where she could be appreciated.

"Get ready, we'll arrive in five minutes," said her father.

Gwendoline heard her mother suppress a sob and she herself had a hard time not to break down in tears. Miss Winters, the poor, amiable Miss Winters, already had tears streaming down from her face.

Then, they arrived at the school and Gwendoline had to leave the car and venture into the abominable noise that always accompanied a new term at Malory Towers. They got out of the car in silence, but after that Gwendoline's mother finally burst into tears and hugged Gwendoline with all her strength. Gwendoline was also crying, half from pain and half from having to leave the only comfortable place in the entire world.

Miss Winters joined in and soon, all three of them were crying with all their might. Gwendoline tried to control herself, for, after all, eyes puffy from crying were not befitting a beauty like her, but the prospect of what lay before her was too much. All that studying, sharing a dorm with those cruel girls, walks and games and, worst of all, Alicia and Darrell, it was just unbearable.

Her father stood aside, looking bored and waiting for them to finish. He coolly looked at Gwendoline. "Well, that's it. Take care of yourself, Gwen, and make sure I don't hear anything bad from Miss Grayling," he said.

"Yes… father," said Gwendoline and dutifully kissed him on the cheek. She then endured another round of kisses and tears from mother and Miss Winters, which lasted until father announced they had to leave at once.

With all that over, Gwendoline, her eyes still misty from tears, went about doing all she had to do on the first day of a new term. During all that, she did her best to not show how much all that giggling and significant looks from the various girls, some even from lower forms, affected her. It was easy to ignore these, but then came an unmistakable snigger from Alicia and that foolish Betty, who wanted to be together with Alicia so much that Gwendoline was surprised she wasn't already caught sneaking into the North Tower dormitories at night. Upon hearing that snigger, Gwendoline lost her will and fled, hearing the two girls break into laughter at the sight.

As usual, nobody greeted her when she entered the Fourth Form dormitory, only some hushed whispers. It stung a little, but she didn't care, not after Alicia and Betty being openly malicious. Also, there was a lot of time to pay them back for it.

Nobody spoke a word to her, not until they wanted her to stop brushing her wonderful, golden hair. They were so rude, Gwendoline pulled out a few strands of hair and yelped in pain. Alicia burst into laughter at that and even others seemed to stifling giggles as Gwendoline subjected them to her furious, withering glare.

Immediately after she recovered from her outburst, Alicia came to Gwendoline, wrested the hairbrush from her hand, put it down on Gwendoline's nightstand and led her to her bed. "Now, let's put the baby to sleep, darling Gwen. Be a good girl," she said.

Gwendoline shook Alicia away and shot another glare at her. How dare she! At least, the others had already lost interest and were going about their business. But Alicia, Alicia would pay!

But there was nothing she could do at the moment. Under Alicia's gaze and burning with shame and humiliation, she got into her bed and then resolutely turned away from Alicia.

It took all her considerable willpower to keep herself from immediately starting to cry. She would wait and let those unfeeling beasts think she was crying because she was homesick, not subjected to such humiliation. At least, unlike those brutes, she was capable of feeling something and she did not cry because she wanted attention, like that rotten Mary-Lou.

When the lights went out, she let her tears flow freely and the relief of it actually caused her to be happy for a short while. She cried and cried, intent on not stopping until she had been completely satisfied. She ignored all the complaints and orders and insults, crying her heart out. Then, a figure loomed over her head and let a wet sponge fall right onto Gwendoline's face. The shock made Gwendoline stop crying and imprinted who the assailant was in her memory. Irene! She'll pay for it!

After the assault, Gwendoline couldn't sleep for the longest time. Wild schemes of revenge ran through her head, sometimes trading places with memories of home, all those warm nooks and crannies she could hide from her father and still remain comfortable. She did not dare to start crying again and she wished violently that Miss Winters had been there with her. Miss Winters had always let Gwendoline to cry as much as she wanted after a row with her father, never scolding her, just holding her close and letting Gwendoline know she was there. Just before she finally fell asleep, Gwendoline thought just how much she missed the dear old lady.


	2. 02 The Evil Witches

Nobody bothered to wake Gwendoline in the morning. The winter sun was already shining into the empty dormitory when she opened her eyes and looked at the wall-mounted clock. It was too late for breakfast, but there was still time to get into class and avoid a scolding and a punishment.

She got out of the bed, ready to rummage in her belongings for snacks she had made mother prepare for an occasion like this. There was no sense in appealing to the Matron for extra food and nobody would save anything for her, like they sometimes did for Belinda and Irene, or even some other girls after an inter-school match, or other such nonsense.

When she finished eating, Gwendoline gathered all the fallen crumbs she could find and with them in hand, she went to Irene's bed, ready to take at least a partial revenge for yesterday. She carefully put the crumbs under the bed sheets and into the pillowcase, ready to fall out at any moment. She smiled, knowing that Irene wouldn't have an easy time falling asleep.

The she turned around and saw a sheet of paper showing from under Belinda's bed. Sighing at how can someone be so untidy and unrefined, but also being curious, she lifted it to take a look. She liked Belinda's sketches, but Belinda didn't often show them to her, only when she was overcome with happiness at how well did a particular sketch or drawing turn out.

When she looked at the paper, she immediately lost her temper. As there was no other target, she kicked Belinda's bed with all her might and the pain from the impact brought tears to her eyes. It was a nasty, crude caricature of Gwendoline herself, as she was yesterday evening. In the picture, she was screaming and falling down, with expression of horror on her face, holding a hairbrush covered with _straw yellow_ hair in one hand and trying to cover a new bald spot on her head with the other hand.

Gwendoline wanted to shriek in fury and tear the picture to pieces, but she knew a lady wouldn't do that. Not when the picture might be missed. Belinda would have to pay, along with Irene and Alicia, And Gwendoline even knew how she would do it, what she would do to hit two birds with one stone, crushing both Belinda and Irene. But that plan needed some more time, before she could give it a final form.

But first, she would have to bring down Alicia, the first offender. The loathsome Alicia would have to be brought down together with her equally loathsome friend. With that in mind, Gwendoline set out to get ready for class.

All through the day, Gwendoline watched Alicia intently, ignoring every scolding it had earned her, forcing herself to pay attention only on verge of impeding punishment. Watching her during class and meals did not bring any results, so Gwendoline took to shadowing both her and Betty in the afternoon. They must have noticed her following them, since they both seemed very guarded and careful. Still, there was something about them and how they often passed by one of the old no-longer used classrooms, which was now used as storage for spare desks and other pieces of furniture. When they were passing by that classroom, they were carefully looking around, but so stealthily nobody but Gwendoline, who had years of practice in watching her surroundings, if only to add more grievances to the list of insults to be avenged, would be able to notice.

That evening, Alicia seemed to have even sourer attitude towards Gwendoline than usual, starting from the dinner and continuing up until it was time for lights out. But Gwen, knowing that soon, Alicia would pay tenfold for all this mistreatment, remained silent, even when Alicia dared to suggest it was good for Gwen that she had missed breakfast, for she was quickly "turning into a piggy".

And then, when Irene, who had gone to bed last, having been scribbling some silly tune again, started to squirm in her bed, full of dry crumbs, in a vain attempt to find a comfortable spot, Gwendoline did not laugh, even when Irene had to humbly beg for lights to be switched on, so she could clean out her bed. If she did, they would immediately know she was responsible, but this way, they would be only suspicious. Instead, she pretended to be asleep and gloried in her triumph.

The next day, she bolted out of classroom at the first opportunity, barely hearing Alicia's jibe at her unusual rush. She went straight to her unused classroom and hid in one of the cupboards, standing along the walls, leaving the door open just enough, so that she could see enough of the classroom without revealing herself.

And then she waited. The classroom was cold, as the unused parts of the school were not heated in the winter, but it fortunately did not take long. Some minutes after she occupied the cupboard, she saw Alicia poke her head into the classroom and look around. Apparently satisfied, Alicia entered, leading Betty inside by the hand.

"That rotten Gwen," she muttered, so that Gwendoline only barely heard her, "chasing us all around yesterday, I wish I could have swatted her."

"It's all right now," said Betty, "Don't worry about Gwen, we have better things to do."

Alicia smiled wickedly and then led Betty further away from the door, until she leaned over and kissed her. It was a kiss unlike any other Gwendoline had seen at Malory Towers. It was not like those friendly pecks that were so common, this was almost like a lover's kiss she read about in mother's books, behind her father's back. And when the kiss ended, Gwendoline saw that Betty's eyes were moist. Dear God, was Betty soppy?

The display continued and Gwendoline felt herself reddening in profound embarrassment at what she was witnessing. Those two were behaving like lovers, with all that kissing and touching. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the two girls drew away from each other, both smiling impossibly wide and with their eyes sparkling. Betty, laughing silently, attempted to tidy Alicia's hair with the very same hand that had ruffled them. Then she took hold of Alicia's arm and playfully moved to Alicia's side, pressing herself against the girl. Alicia laughed, gave Betty one more, short kiss and then they left the classroom.

Gwendoline remained in the cupboard, her body numb from shock and all better for that, since had her body responded to her mind, she would have flown screaming out of the cupboard, right after the second kiss. Those two! How dare they show that behaviour to other people? Do they have no sense of what's proper or even one tiny shred of decency?

She was angry, confused, blushing and a little… jealous? Yes, she was. No, she wasn't, she did not care about those two. She did not care, she had to calm down and think about what she just saw.

As she was slowly calming down, an idea found her way into Gwendoline's head. This was just the way she could take her revenge on both Belinda and Irene by breaking their friendship. Taking Irene's friend away and then breaking Belinda's heart was just what she needed. Even better was that Gwendoline wouldn't be the one left behind, instead she would be the one doing the leaving.

Gwendoline smiled triumphantly all the way back to the common room. This was a revenge plan nobody in the entire school would expect. Nobody would think that she, the golden-haired, beautiful Gwendoline Mary Lacey, would harbour even the slightest hint of interest in that plain Belinda Morris, who was always dirty from paint and charcoal.


	3. 03 Witch Apprentice

For the next few days, Gwendoline looked at the girls around her with new eyes. She noticed so many new things she never saw before, that the girls actually started to seem interesting.

She noticed, how Sally's face went rigid and her voice strained, whenever Bill started to talk with Darrell. Poor, dumpy, jealous Sally. Never even trying to drop a hint to Darrell. And foolish Darrell, who thought Sally had got over her jealousy.

Then there were Mary-Lou and Daphne. Gwendoline had long since decided to not bother with that weepy ninny and that lousy thief, but now, she noticed how in some regards they were very similar to Alicia and Betty. Daphne hanging on Mary-Lou's every word, just like Betty. Mary-Lou looking down and nervous when Daphne was out of sight and always brightening up the moment she saw Daphne, again just like Betty. And then there was how they always put theirs chairs into the most remote and dark corner of the common room. Gwendoline always thought it because of how cowardly and shy Mary-Lou was, but now, she couldn't help giving it a different significance.

Alicia and Betty, now that Gwendoline knew, became suddenly transparent. All those looks, lasting just a little bit too long. All those touches, carefully skirting the line between touches and caresses. The moments when Betty was much redder than usual and Alicia was smiling wickedly with a distant look on her face. Gwendoline had to smile. How could the others be so blind and not see all that.

And Irene and Belinda, the subject of a minute observation, seemed that they never ever thought about expanding their friendship further. That was good, it meant Belinda wouldn't know what to expect.

The only sour revelation from all those new discoveries was that there was no way to use what she knew about Alicia and Betty to take revenge. Miss Grayling did not approve of what she called sneaking and the other girls, even if they could be made to believe Gwendoline, were unlikely to be much scandalised, considering they were not completely innocent in that regard.

On the other hand, Alicia and Betty proved to be excellent teachers. They were the most daring, the most consciously wicked of all the girls. Gwendoline couldn't uncover any more places they used for fooling around and she spent some fruitless, cold hours in the cupboard, waiting for them to appear. But in the times when her efforts were rewarded, she learned a lot. How they acted towards each other when they thought they were alone, all the words they spoke to each other and only to each other, and all manner of malicious remarks on address of various girls in the school, but chiefly Gwendoline herself.

Gwendoline fumed at all those insults and added them to a list of grievances Alicia would have to be punished for, which, in size, was quickly eclipsing the lists assigned to Gwendoline's father and the strictest mistresses.

Even though barely a week has passed, Gwendoline's marks were already slipping and even the amiable Mam'zelle Dupont was beginning to get cross with her. What she had already learned would have to be enough.

"Tomorrow," thought Gwendoline, as she was lying in her bed, watching Belinda chatting with Irene, "tomorrow, dear Belinda, we'll be face to face."

Then she smiled upon noticing that even when talking, Belinda was gesturing with her hands, just as if she was painting.


	4. 04 First Spell

Gwendoline's preparations, before she entered the small, out-of-the-way room Belinda had obtained permission to use as an art studio, had been meticulous,. Her hair, her clothes, everything had been even more perfect than ever before. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. There was no answer, but Gwendoline took the door handle anyway and entered the small studio.

Belinda was sitting by the window, painting the view, fully absorbed in her task. There was already a number of quick sketches, charcoal drawings, pencil drawings and even some oil paintings of the very same scenery to be seen, both put away carefully and carelessly lying around the room. Oh, this room was even messier than Gwendoline expected, messy even by Belinda's appallingly relaxed standards.

Gwendoline's entrance into the room did not get Belinda's attention, so she took the time to examine the girl. She never actually saw Belinda while painting before, only when sketching or drawing and at those times, Gwendoline was always angry, for she was always sure Belinda was creating another of her nasty caricatures. Here, in her studio, Belinda had her hair tucked away in an old scarf, with only a few strands still loose and unprotected. The smock she wore over her school uniform had an unbelievable number of colour stains on it. In this outfit, Belinda looked just like a working woman. And yet, Belinda was working much more diligently than those drudges Gwendoline occasionally saw when in the city with her family.

"Belinda," said Gwendoline. Did her voice tremble? If it did, Gwendoline was glad she wasn't talking to Irene who would surely notice. Belinda did not respond, so Gwendoline repeated herself. This time, Belinda stopped painting, set the brush aside and turned around. She seemed surprised to see Gwendoline, and no wonder, thought Gwendoline.

"Gwen? What do you want?" She did not sound confrontational or especially displeased. That was better than Gwendoline expected.

"I had thought that, maybe, you would let me model for you. It's just an idea I had," said Gwendoline. In her head, she added a curse she had once overheard from her father, as her carefully prepared speech had fallen apart.

Belinda was clearly taken aback, but she had quickly regained her composure. "Really? It's not some kind of joke, or is it?"

Gwendoline beamed at her. "No, it isn't. Did I ever lie to you, Belinda?"

"Yes, you did." The answer came at once.

She tried to look like innocence personified. "If you think so, but I'm not lying now. I would really like to model for you."

Gwendoline saw Belinda's eyes dart around all pictures in the studio and had to suppress a smile. Finally, Belinda looked at Gwendoline again. "Very well then. I hope you'll be patient enough. Can you sit for me right away?"

When Gwendoline nodded, Belinda continued, "Can you wait a second before I get everything ready?"

Gwendoline nodded again and Belinda stood up to draw a creaky old chair from one corner of the room to a better lit place, while the scenery Belinda had been painting just a moment ago lay completely forgotten. Gwendoline used the time to undo the topmost button on her school blouse. She thought about undoing one more, but it wouldn't do if she were too bold.

Finally, Belinda seemed to finish and turned to Gwendoline, "Can you sit down on the chair?" She was quiet for a moment, then added, "Thank you, Gwen. I'm sure this'll be a great experience, I've never painted anyone like you."

Anyone fat? Anyone spotty? Anyone pimply or ugly? Mother's darling, piggy, selfish beast, vain "princess", crybaby... no, not crybaby, Gwendoline was sure Belinda had already painted Mary-Lou. That thought brought an end to the flood of insults Gwendoline had overheard Alicia and Betty say about her. She flushed red from anger and then panicked at the thought that Belinda wouldn't want to paint her like that.

She looked down at her hands, they were trembling. This room has been beastly cold after all, it was no wonder. Remembering what had Belinda just told her, Gwendoline walked over to the chair and sat down.

"Are you hot, Gwen? You can unbutton more if you want, I don't mind," said Belinda.

Gwendoline shook her head and then followed Belinda's instructions on how she should sit. It all took so long, Gwendoline began to feel antsy already and Belinda did not even start.

When everything was finally done, Belinda picked up her pencil. "I have to make a sketch, first," she explained to Gwendoline without prompting. After that, she started to sketch, her gaze moving from Gwendoline to the canvas and back again.

It took a long time, so long that Gwendoline felt herself becoming numb. She never realised how much stretching did her body require. The sun was already setting when Belinda finally put her pencil down. "All done for now," she said, "you can stand up. Would you come back tomorrow? The light isn't good enough to start painting properly today."

Gwendoline felt pins and needles in her legs as she stood up again. "Can I take a look?" she said, as she walked over to Belinda.

Belinda just moved away from the easel, so Gwendoline could take her place. Seeing Belinda's work on a real canvas and not on a sheet of paper made a difference, even if work was still only a preliminary, though detailed, sketch. It was still very much unfinished, , but Gwendoline fell in love with her portrait. She looked just lovely and the unbuttoned blouse seemed like a tantalising hint, just as Gwendoline hoped.

Then the school bell rang the time. "Oh no, I promised Irene I would pick her up in the music room before dinner! Sorry, Gwen, I have to lock it here. Will you come tomorrow after the lessons end?" cried Belinda and without waiting for an answer, pushed Gwendoline out of the door, locked it and ran away.

This was a complete triumph. Making Belinda forget Irene was Gwendoline's wildest dreams coming true. Her spirits soaring, Gwendoline went to dinner.

Later in the dining hall, Gwendoline noticed that now and then, Belinda gave her a questioning look, and Gwendoline felt very satisfied by that.


	5. 05 Burning a Witch

The evening, night and day before returning to Belinda's studio were full of anticipation. Gwendoline knew that she was successful in her first attempt to get closer to Belinda and couldn't wait until the second one. Getting to see her wonderful portrait again was just a little extra.

During the lessons, she paid even less attention than usual, lost in her own imagination and thinking about her inevitable triumph. It earned her a scolding, but fortunately no other punishment.

Finally, the last class was dismissed and Gwendoline left the classroom together with Belinda. She didn't turn around to look, but she imagined the that the other girls must have been surprised by this. Maybe Irene even looked a little hurt. Gwendoline smiled at that thought.

This time, Gwendoline undid the two topmost buttons on her blouse. Going slowly but surely was the key, she shouldn't do too much and make Belinda suspicious. Belinda did not seem to notice, but Gwendoline knew that someone with eyes as keen as Belinda's must have noticed.

Apart from what they needed to say, the painting session was silent. Again, Gwendoline felt numb when they were done, but still walked over to the easel and looked at the half-finished picture. It was wonderful, absolutely exquisite.

Allowing herself some spontaneity, she quickly hugged Belinda. "Oh, Belinda, it's beautiful, so beautiful," she exclaimed.

Belinda extricated herself from the hug, looking a little surprised. "Gwen, you'll dirty your clothes," she said, "but thank you."

Gwendoline smiled at Belinda, "Sorry, Belinda. It's just so..." She didn't finish the sentence. Was there any word, other than beautiful, she could use? She couldn't think of any at the moment, so instead, she just said, "I guess I should come back tomorrow, shouldn't I?"

When Belinda, busy examining the portrait, didn't respond, Gwendoline repeated her question.

"Oh yes, come back tomorrow," said Belinda, "I should finish it then."

"I will," said Gwendoline, "Bye, Belinda."

With this, Gwendoline left the studio. She felt so happy that she wanted to skip along the corridor like a little girl, but her dignity and numb legs wouldn't allow that. Then, suddenly, she heard a stifled giggling from further down the corridor.

It sounded familiar, so she decided to investigate. Just as she was about to carefully go around a corner, she heard Betty's voice, "Don't Alicia. Someone might see us."

"Who cares? The girls would understand and the mistresses never come here," came Alicia's reply.

This seemed to satisfy Betty, because when Gwendoline carefully peeked around the corner, the two girls were fooling around like usual, neither paying much attention to their surroundings.

Still hiding behind the corner, Gwendoline was thinking harder than ever before. This was a chance to get back at Alicia and Betty, but how? Getting a mistress to come here, saying that she had heard something weird, might take too much time and she might get punished for wasting a teacher's time. Getting Belinda here might just give her ideas Gwendoline did not yet want her to have. Finally, she thought of an idea that was so simple and yet so brilliant. Eye for an eye, humiliation for humiliation. Attack what Alicia treasures most, not to destroy it, but to rob it of all its worth.

She took a deep breath, then, with pretend carelessness, walked around a corridor. She let her gaze rest for a second on Alicia and Betty, who were too busy with each other to notice her, then she started to laugh.

At first, her laugh seemed a little artificial and laboured, but when it got Alicia and Betty's attention and Gwendoline saw the looks of surprise on their faces, she no longer had to fake any of her merriment.

Betty and even more Alicia, looked surprised that Gwendoline would laugh at them, when she caught them like this. The look on their faces gave Gwendoline more satisfaction than any long planned scheme for revenge could have. When she laughed enough at the two, Gwendoline looked at them, in attempt to express the sentence, "I can't believe anyone could be so silly like you two," in a single look, the most scornful look she could manage.

Then Gwendoline quickly walked away. She was sure that she had got under Alicia's skin and hurt her, now it was time to retreat, since she was afraid of what might Alicia do, when there were no witnesses present that might want to defend Gwendoline.

After this, she did not see neither Alicia nor Betty for the rest of the day. Alicia even missed dinner, doubtlessly sulking somewhere in a corner, so Gwendoline had until evening to bask in her triumph and savour the memory of hurt expression on Alicia's face.

Alicia returned to the Fourth Form dormitory only after all the other girls were already ready to go to sleep. Gwendoline was already smiling, but she had to smile wider, when she saw the sullen and dejected look on Alicia's face. Darrell was the first to inquire about why Alicia had missed the dinner, but she was quite rudely rebuffed. It seemed that Alicia was not interested in speaking with anybody, but only to hide away in her bed.

Gwendoline wanted to dance a dance of triumph and laugh at how utterly defeated and humiliated Alicia was. She had to muffle the laughter that escaped her with a blanker, so that nobody would suspect she had something to do with Alicia's sour mood.

Gwendoline fell asleep in high spirits, but that night, her usual nightmare returned. Though perhaps, it was wrong to call that dream a nightmare, since it wasn't particulary frightening. In the dream, Gwendoline was at home, sitting in a comfortable chair near the fireplace, watching the burning logs turn into ash and listening to clock ticking. Nothing else had ever happened in that dream, but it always made her wake up in the middle of the night, with tears in her eyes. This time was no different.

She wanted nothing more than to cry until she was tired enough to fall asleep again, but she heard a noise in the dark dormitory that made her stop. There already was someone else crying in the room. Tears were still rolling down Gwendoline's cheeks, but she did not pay any attention to them. Instead, she got out of her bed and silently crept to the source of the noise. It was Alicia's bed. Alicia was crying. All thoughts of home were now banished from Gwendoline's head, as she experienced another surge of triumphant joy.

Alicia must have noticed her, since she turned to look at her, with eyes red and puffy from crying. There were still some tears in Gwendoline's eyes, but she was smiling widely. She was almost sure, that she was the first person alive to see Alicia like that and she enjoyed it immensely. Then, Alicia spoke.

"I hate you, Gwendoline."


	6. 06 Ice Princess

Gwendoline expected Alicia would do something against her the following day, but Alicia had seemed to regain her composure. Both Alicia and Betty completely ignored Gwendoline's presence, but apart from that, there seemed to be no change in their behaviour, they were just as affectionate with her other as usual.

This calm was worrying, but Gwendoline did not pay that much attention to it, since she looked forward to the time she would spend at Belinda's studio. She prepared even better than before, surpassing all her previous efforts to make sure she looked her absolute best. Belinda would have no choice, but to be stunned and enchanted by Gwendoline's charms.

Her lack of attention during lessons had finally earned her a punishment in form of some extra math problems to solve, but she didn't mind as much as usual. There were more important things to worry about.

Just like yesterday, she and Belinda left the classroom together and headed to the studio. Gwendoline looked over her shoulder, just as she was walking through the door, but it seemed that Alicia paid her no notice. When they arrived at the studio, Gwendoline patiently sat on the old chair, while Belinda was working her art, just like yesterday. And, also just like yesterday, the end result was absolutely magnificent. The finished portrait was the most beautiful painting Gwendoline had ever seen. Of course, she had been the model, but Belinda's skills were also responsible.

Again, she hugged Belinda tightly, exclaiming her feelings of rapture about the picture. Belinda did not protest, apparently she was just as satisfied with her work as Gwendoline was, though not that emotional.

When Gwendoline's thanks and praises finally ended, Belinda actually looked a little embarrassed. Gwendoline thought that, perhaps, she had been a bit excessive in vocalising her feelings, but she banished that thought almost immediately. Belinda was just humble, like a proper artist should be.

"Thank you, Gwen," said Belinda, "Painting you was a great experience and you were actually a lot more patient than other people who modelled for me."

Even if it was such a little praise, Gwendoline felt her cheeks flush. Oh dear God, was she actually blushing? Once again, she forgot the eloquent words she had prepared, this time because of surprise.

She smiled at Belinda. One can never go really wrong with smiles."Oh. no. You just looked so earnest when working, I thought I had to do the same."

Was this a good thing to say?

"That's unlike you, Gwen. Though, I suppose, offering to model for me, is also unlike you," said Belinda.

"No, not at all," said Gwendoline, "I like your pictures, I really do. So I wanted to help you."

"Again, unlike you," said Belinda, "You usually do not want to help anyone."

"But I did want to help you," said Gwendoline.

"And I'm thankful for that," said Belinda, "Sorry for what I said just now, but you probably needed it."

"Maybe," said Gwendoline, careful not to disagree. Then after a short pause to prepare herself. "Can I come here sometime? I won't be a bother, it's just that sometimes, it's awfully dull being all alone."

Belinda looked directly at her. "As long as you aren't a bother."

And with this, they went their separate ways for the day. Belinda returned to her usual art practice, and then Irene, while Gwendoline went to search for a place, where Alicia wouldn't find her.

Gwendoline thought a long time about their conversation. How did she seem to Belinda? Did she seem sincere enough? Was she sincere enough? Yes, she was. She needed to get close to Belinda, so she could take revenge on Irene. She was sincere enough in that goal and Belinda couldn't have known her true motivation. But Belinda was still wary. Gwendoline thought about what Belinda had said to her. Of course, Gwendoline did not want to help anyone, they wouldn't want to help her. And if they asked for help... Well, they never did, nobody wanted to have anything to do with "dull, fat Gwendoline Mary". Except for Belinda, who seemed to not actually mind her presence and Gwendoline was glad for that.

She did not visit Belinda's studio the following day, or the day after that. The first reason was that she did not want to seem too pushy. The second reason was that even a surprise snowstorm, so rare in Cornwall, that left the countryside blanketed in snow, did not mean the cancellation of a nature walk planned for the entire Fourth Form.

Gwendoline, clad in so many layers of clothing she herself had to admit she looked like a ball, felt the walk to be a waste of time, that would be much better spent sitting by the fireplace in warmth. Walking around a dull, white countryside did not interest her in the least. With any luck, the snow would melt in a day or two and there would be no more this winter. All the other girls, though, were happy with the outing and since the lower forms were not present, a little snowball battle occured without hurting the form's dignity.

Alone as usual, Gwendoline had more than enough time to observe the other girls. Darrell, Bill and Sally were running around in the snow, just like first formers and the delights of snow seemed to make Sally forget her jealousy for a while. Mary-Lou and Daphne, dressed almost as warmly as Gwendoline herself, were walking hand in hand, whispering some secrets to each other. Belinda and Irene were side by side, though both seemed lost in their individual pursuits, as Irene was humming some tune and Belinda, not wearing any gloves, was clutching her sketchbook and pencil in her cold hands.

Neither Alicia nor Betty were anywhere to be seen. Gwendoline looked for them all around, fully expecting to be buried in snow up to her neck the instant she let her guard down, but they must have joined the girls from the West Tower.

She herself trudged forward, desperately hoping for an end to this ordeal. Finally, they reached a small outcropping of rocks, that allowed for a view of the countryside and was apparently their goal. Some places among the rocks were shielded from the wind and the little snow that had fallen there was quickly cleared out, so the girls would have an opportunity to rest for a short while. Gwendoline welcomed the pause, but it didn't last long enough for her tiredness to fade.

On the way back, Belinda approached Gwendoline and showed her two sketches, she had made during the break. The first one was of Irene, sitting on a rock, eyes closed, her fingers playing on an invisible piano. The second sketch was of Gwendoline, also sitting on a rock and looking pensive.

"I drew you, because you were apart from the others. They didn't get in the way," said Belinda.

Before Gwendoline had a chance to respond, Belinda ran away, since Irene was calling her. As she watched Belinda run through the snow, Gwendoline smiled and continued walking.

Though she was spurred on by the hope of warming herself, Gwendoline felt her legs ache, as they reached Malory Towers. When she finally entered the warm building, Gwendoline sighed with relief.

The entrance to Malory Towers was also the first time she saw Alicia and Betty since the beginning of the walk. Just as she thought, Alicia had went to join the West Tower girls, instead of Betty joining the North Tower like usual. Just like Mary-Lou and Daphne, they were holding hands and, Gwendoline couldn't help herself think that, their were faces very red, probably from more than just the cold. When the two girls entered, Gwendoline's and Alicia's eyes met and even though Alicia seemed merry, Gwendoline had to shudder.


	7. 07 Sleeping Princess

The next two days were weekend, so after Saturday classes ended, Gwendoline decided to visit Belinda's studio. She was still afraid of what may Alicia plan for her and wanted to hide in a place Alicia wouldn't use for revenge.

When Gwendoline arrived, Belinda was already inside, carefully arranging a bunch of dried flowers to serve as a still-life model. She even slightly smiled when Gwendoline entered, but soon became concentrated only on her work.

Gwendoline moved a chair to a corner and sat down. Since she couldn't think of anything else to do to pass time, she brought a textbook. She did not really study, she was just reading it, not really remembering anything in the book.

With Belinda drawing and Gwendoline reading, neither of them spoke. Gwendoline felt nervous about it, Belinda still seemed a little tense that Gwendoline was in the room with her. From time to time, she stole a glance at Belinda who was working diligently. Once, just once, Gwendoline thought that she had caught Belinda lowering her gaze back to the drawing she was working on.

Suddenly, Belinda spoke, "Gwen, can you take a look at this?" and pointed at the drawing.

Gwendoline got up and looked at Belinda's newest work. It took Gwendoline's breath away. The dried flowers on the paper looked alive, much more alive than any dried flowers should.

"It's marvellous," she said, "Every single one of your pictures is beautiful."

"Do you really think so?" said Belinda, "I think I've made the shadows on the right a little took dark. They seem to contrast too much."

"I... don't really know about details like this," said Gwendoline, "But this is a good drawing any anybody would say that."

Belinda looked unsure, but didn't offer any more protests. Gwendoline returned back to her chair. She liked that Belinda asked her for her opinion on the picture. It was so much easier to be flattering when the flattery happened to be true.

Soon, Gwendoline became a regular visitor in Belinda's studio. Occasionally, Belinda asked her what she thought about a new picture, but Gwendoline's answer never changed. But for the most time, they were silent. Gwendoline read most of her textbooks during that time, though it didn't help her school work much, as her mind was usually occupied with other things such as her plan, her family and worrying about Alicia.

Then, one day, the door to Belinda's studio opened and Irene entered. She acknowledged Gwendoline's presence with a quick nod, then she began to chide Belinda for mistaking Irene's music book for her sketchbook, all of this with a smile on her face.

"Belinda, sometimes, I swear, you're even bigger scatterbrain than I am," she finished.

Belinda sheepisly gave Irene back her music book, then, forgetting all about her work, she went away with Irene.

Was this jealousy, this feeling that Gwendoline was just experiencing? She did not know, she would have to ask Sally to be sure. She knew, that if she spoke even one cross word to Belinda, she would lose all the work she had put into gaining Belinda's trust. Not only that, but her pride was also hurt. She hoped that Belinda would keep Gwendoline's visits secret, even from Irene. This, Gwendoline had to admit to herself, was silly, but she couldn't help herself.

She sighed and got up, with all the emotions still inside her, went out of the studio, locked the door and put the key into her pocket. Again, she sighed and went back to common room, where she could expect to be reasonably safe from Alicia's retribution.

The common room was empty when she arrived. Since the day has been fairly sunny and warm, most of the girls were outside, where the short-lived snow had long since melted away. She tried to read the textbook, but had to give up, since her mind was wandering even more than usual.

What was Alicia planning? Neither she, not Betty, spoke a single word to Gwendoline since their encounter in the corridor. Gwendoline was sure that Alicia was planning some kind of revenge. Even if by some miracle Alicia wasn't planning anything, then Betty certainly was. And Betty, though less crafty than Alicia, had been no less cruel to Gwendoline.

She heard footsteps coming from the corridor and instinctively looked around for a place to hide, thinking it was Alicia. When Darrell and Sally entered the room, Gwendoline relaxed. With these two here, Alicia wouldn't dare to try anything.

Darrell and Sally took no notice of Gwendoline. Instead, they took two chairs and began to gabble about the games practices that never stopped at Malory Towers, even in winter, when everyone was always ready to run into shelter at the slightest sign of rain.

Gwendoline did not actually listen to their conversation, but she observed them intently. Just now, Sally had lifted her hand, as if to take Darrell's hand, but then hesitated and lowered it again. Poor Sally. Perhaps she was frightened that Darrell would laugh at her, since they were no longer little girls to constantly hold hands.

As the evening closed in more and more, the girls were returning to the common room. First the little girls, Mary-Lou and Daphne, quite unconcerned with what anyone might think of them. Gwendoline noticed Sally looking longingly at them, but Darrell, saying something Sally quite overheard, did not.

Then, Alicia came in, blushing slightly and smiling. She and Betty must have separated only seconds ago. She took a seat near Gwendoline and even though Alicia did not take any notice of her, Gwendoline shrunk back.

Belinda, Irene and Bill arrived together, with Bill immediately heading towards Darrell to tell her the latest news of her horse, ignoring the furious stares Sally shot at her.

Belinda and Irene also found their chairs and settled down, Belinda leafing through a sketchbook and Irene working on some sums they have been assigned. Gwendoline walked over to them, took the key out of her pocket and handed it to Belinda, "You forgot to lock the door," she said.

"Did I? Thank you, Gwen," said Belinda.

As she was walking away, Gwendoline stole a glance at Irene's sums, trying to remembers as much of them as possible, but Belinda noticed her.

"Do you need some help with those sums?," she asked, "Irene can help you. As thanks for bringing the key, won't you, Irene?"

Irene seemed surprised, but did not protest. Since it wouldn't do to turn down Belinda's (Or was it Irene's?) offer, Gwendoline just murmured, "Thank you," and went to bring her math notebook.


	8. 08 Anticlimax

Since that evening, Gwendoline was in a singularly awkward position. Like Mary-Lou some years before, she had become a third wheel to an established pair of special friends. Even though Belinda and Irene clearly did not mind her presence, but Gwendoline was constantly second guessing all her actions. She did not want to risk getting estranged from Belinda by trying to separate her from Irene.

Gwendoline did not actually mind the arrangement. Not only did it provide safety from any plans by Alicia and Betty, who were still ominously quiet, but it was also nice that there was someone in the school who acknowledged Gwendoline in more than just basic courtesy.

True, her plan has got more complicated, but for now, protection from Alicia and Betty was most appreciated. Now, Gwendoline was regretting that she did not take her revenge in a more low-key way. Alicia deserved every bit of it, but the constant threat made Gwendoline nervous.

Two weeks had already passed since Gwendoline, Belinda and Irene had entered their new arrangement. When she was again locking Belinda's studio after its owner forgot to do so, Gwendoline was suddenly seized by two pairs of hands, which turned out to belong to Alicia and Betty. Gwendoline did not struggle as they led her to an empty classroom and made her sit down, after all, both Betty and Alicia were much stronger than her.

"Listen, Gwendoline Mary Lacey," began Alicia, "I've seen enough of what you've been up to lately, so I should tell you that if you do anything to hurt either Belinda or Irene, we'll both make the rest of your time at Malory Towers a living hell."

She paused, but clearly did not end her speech, "And, if you even try, to do anything to Betty, I'll gladly get expelled for thrashing you thoroughly and I'll never regret that. Do you know why?"

Gwendoline wanted to say it was because Alicia was a silly goose, but she knew better than to anger Alicia in this situation. "I guess I do," she said.

"I doubt it," said Alicia, "I doubt you've ever thought about anyone except yourself."

"One more thing," said Betty," Just so you know, I'll be happy to get expelled together with Alicia."

After saying that, they both left Gwendoline in the classroom to fume over this outrage. How dare they? Not the threats, that was to be expected from someone so unladylike as were Alicia and Betty, but the insult. How dare they say that Gwendoline never thought about anyone except herself? If she didn't think about other people, she wouldn't have known how to act around Belinda and Irene and how to make her mother and Miss Winters do whatever she wanted. And did they really think she wouldn't be able to see that Alicia loved Betty? It was plain as day, anyone could see it. Just because that Gwendoline cared about Belinda right now, she wasn't blind, for goodness' sake.

Still angry, Gwendoline made her way to the common room. The only other girl there was Irene, busy with her equations, and since Gwendoline did not want to disturb her, she just found a chair for herself. Now that Alicia and Betty made their threats clear, she felt rather relieved. She was confident that she could make their life so much more miserable than they could make hers. After all, she had years of practice in being miserable at Malory Towers.

Gwendoline smiled, now the way was almost clear to find her way into Belinda's heart, leaving it broken and empty. And then, her revenge on Irene would be complete.

Irene did not notice Gwendoline until Belinda entered the common room and greeted them both. Gwendoline handed over the studio key with a reproach that one day, Belinda would doubtlessly lose the key. Belinda smiled and thanked Gwendoline, who couldn't help but smile in return.

It seemed as if the withdrawal of the constant threat of Alicia and Betty had also encouraged the clouds to withdraw, as the weather took a drastic turn for the better. The snow of few weeks ago was only a memory, the sun was shining and the air felt almost warm. As such, Belinda decided to go sketching outside and Gwendoline, eager to seize a fortunate opportunity, offered to accompany her.

Having obtained permission, the two of them left Malory Towers. Even Gwendoline had to admit the weather was perfect. The clear winter sky was, well, sky blue and the sun was shining so intensely, that the day felt more like spring than winter.

Walking together with Belinda was not the chore Gwendoline expected it to be. Without nobody to make her go forward, Belinda was constantly stopping to sketch an interesting rock formation or a bush or a flower, so there was plenty of time to rest. When they finally reached Belinda's chosen destination, Gwendoline was not very tired.

Nevertheless, Gwendoline lay down on the grass, which was already green again after the brief time under snow cover. Belinda settled down to draw a sketch of the coast. While Belinda worked, Gwendoline was watching her. Belinda was so intent, eyes daring between the sketchbook and the view, not minding the few strands of hair that got free and were now flying in the wind around Belinda's face.

When Belinda's pencil stopped for a moment, Gwendoline sat up, reached out and tucked the loose hair behind Belinda's ears, letting her hand linger on the soft skin of Belinda's cheek. Was it just her imagination or did Belinda blush a little? It didn't matter.

"Are you bored, Gwen?" said Belinda.

"No, I like watching you work," said Gwendoline. It was nice, not having to lie.

"Good," said Belinda and returned to work.

Gwendoline lay down again and closed her eyes. She didn't sleep, she just enjoyed the feeling of lying on the warm grass and listening to the scratching of Belinda's pencil. There was her plan, of course, but it could wait.

She couldn't have rested for long, for when she opened her eyes again, the sun in the sky did not seem to have moved. Belinda had actually noticed her sitting up and turned to her. She flipped to a previous page in her sketchbook and wordlessly offered it to Gwendoline.

The sketch was that of Gwendoline, lying on the grass, eyes closed and smiling. Gwendoline frowned. Was she really smiling at that time or was it just Belinda's addition?

"You don't like it?" asked Belinda upon seeing Gwendoline's reaction.

"No, it's lovely," said Gwendoline, smiled and handed the sketchbook back.

When Belinda was about to start sketching again, Gwendoline spoke again, "Why don't you take a break? You don't have to work all the time."

"Do you feel lonely when I'm drawing? I told you, you didn't have to come," said Belinda.

"That's not it," said Gwendoline, "but you need to have some fun, not to work all the time."

"But this is fun," protested Belinda, "it's just as fun as being with Irene."

Seeing an opportunity, Gwendoline took it," What about me? Am I less fun that drawing?"

"Or than Irene?" said Belinda, "Don't be jealous, Gwen. You're not as bad as I thought and I rather like you, but nobody can compare to Irene."

Was she really so obvious? Not as bad as Belinda thought. That was not enough. "Sorry, Belinda," said Gwendoline.

"But I can still take a break," said Belinda, returning to the original subject, "I'm not going to neglect you, just because I may like drawing better."

Gwendoline smiled much wider than she had thought possible. When Belinda set aside her sketchbook and pencil, Gwendoline hugged her, though she quickly regained her composure and drew back.

Gwendoline resolved to prevent Belinda from returning to her sketching. She tried her best to be charming and jolly, chatting and laughing with Belinda. She even suffered all the admonishment Belinda had for her, after Gwendoline started to complain about the mistresses, in good grace.

When the time came to return to Malory Towers and Belinda's sketchbook was still where she first put it, Gwendoline felt happy and victorious. It was delightful, to score a win over Belinda's love for art, just like winning against Irene. Feeling exultant, Gwendoline took hold of Belinda's hand and when Belinda did not object and they walked back to Malory Towers, hand in hand, Gwendoline's joy increased tenfold.


	9. 09 The Storm

Gwendoline felt very conscious of all the strange looks she was receiving from the other girls in the Fourth Form. She did not mind them that much before, after all, it was only natural that the girls would be curious about her sudden closeness with Belinda, but after that sketching trip, Gwendoline became much more sensitive.

Why couldn't they just mind their own business and not poke their noses into everything they thought unusual? Darrell and Sally should, for one, focus more on themselves, rather than Gwendoline. And Mary-Lou and Daphne were both acting so worried about Belinda, as if Gwendoline was about to bite her head off. It was almost a relief that Alicia and Betty were completely ignoring her.

Was it so surprising that Gwendoline would want a friend or someone to like her and not despise her? Belinda's studio had become even more of a solace than it had been when she was afraid of Alicia's revenge. She was sure that Belinda and Irene never though about it that way, but Belinda's studio was regarded by the other girls as a place they never entered uninvited.

And in addition to all that, Gwendoline was still sore that for Belinda, she was only second after Irene. She was jealous, she admitted that and after few days of wallowing in jealousy, she almost felt sorry for Sally. Irene was before her. Irene, who was the reason she got close to Belinda in the first place. Irene, who did not mind forfeiting some of her time with Belinda to Gwendoline. Irene, who was so sure of Belinda loving her, that she never ever had to suffer from jealousy.

When Gwendoline wasn't in the studio, she was in the common room desperately forcing herself to study in order to be able to ignore all the glances and whispers, that she was sure concerned her.

One day, two weeks before the half term holidays, Sally was the first one to arrive in the common room after Gwendoline. When she entered, Gwendoline immediately opened a history textbook, hoping to provide herself with an excuse to ignore everyone around.

"Gwen, I have to talk to you," said Sally, and without asking whether Gwendoline wanted to talk with her, took a chair next to Gwendoline, "Just what do you plan with Belinda?"

While direct questions were a change from questioning glances, it was not a pleasant one.

"Alicia already talked to me about it," said Gwendoline.

"She didn't tell me anything about it," said Sally.

"Then ask Darrell. Perhaps Alicia told her," replied Gwendoline.

Sally was unfazed. "Are you going to answer me?"

"Mind your own business," said Gwendoline.

"Belinda's my friend. It's my business."

"And what," said Gwendoline, "are you going to do if I tell you?"¨

"I'll talk it over with Darrell, of course" replied Sally.

Gwendoline smiled in disdain. "And risk discovering she already knows? I don't think so."

"If I did not want to know, I wouldn't have asked. Now, will you finally answer me?"

"No," replied Gwendoline, "As I said, it's none of your business."

"So you are planning something nasty," said Sally.

"If I said no, would you believe me?" said Gwendoline.

"Of course not, you're a born liar," said Sally.

"Then what's the point in asking? Are you just trying to amuse yourself, since Darrell is not paying attention to you?"

"I'm worried about Belinda," repeated Sally.

"Then ask Alicia, like I told you to. Or Darrell, I'm sure Alicia already told her," said Gwendoline.

It seemed that all the needling finally hit home. "Are you trying to make me jealous?" said Sally.

"No, I'm just trying to get you to mind your own business," said Gwendoline.

"My business is my own business, you do not need to interfere," said Sally.

"Darrell wouldn't like you being so hypocritical," said Gwendoline.

"Belinda is my friend," said Sally.

"Then why don't you give her some privacy?" said Gwendoline.

"Because I don't trust you," said Sally.

Gwendoline sighed. "Very well then," she said, "Belinda is my friend. Is that enough for you? Will you go running after Darrell now?"

"Don't hurt her, I'm warning you," said Sally and stood up.

Gwendoline did not say anything in reply and the two of them went about their separate business. While pretending to read her textbook, Gwendoline was trying to surreptitiously watch Sally, who looked thoughtful. She still felt tense and now she regretted that she did not use her argument with Sally to release all her pent up frustration. Finally, she just could not stand it for any longer.

"Just go after Darrell and talk to her! Nobody wants to watch you mope around, it's tiring," she lashed out at Sally, who was clearly surprised.

"Gwen…" she started.

"Just go. You know Darrell hates cowards and liars. Well, now you're both. You're afraid and miserable and you make everyone you talk to miserable too. The others must really like you to put up with you for so long. Go, talk to her, get laughed at or whatever, just stop this sitting around looking like you've been drinking Matron's medicine all night long. Even you wailing and crying all night long would be better than this. Damn!"

"Gwen…" Sally tried again.

"Go!" screamed Gwendoline and slumped back onto the chair, not caring whether Sally went or no.

It was a relief, even though after the exhilaration faded, she realised just how lucky she was that her cries did not attract any mistress to the common room. Even then, she concluded, it would have been worth it. She closed her eyes and relaxed, enjoying the momentary peace.

That evening, when the common room filled up, it seemed that the tension between Darrell and Sally has disappeared or, at least, lessened considerably. Gwendoline decided that Sally should be grateful to her, after all Sally owed it all to Gwendoline.

Gwendoline, however, was not so lucky. It was torturous having to watch Irene and Belinda, who, while quite friendly to Gwendoline, seemed to reserve special care for each other. In the end, she went to bed early, but found it difficult to fall asleep and when she finally did, Gwendoline found out that she dreamed a new nightmare.


	10. 10 Resolution

Gwendoline's uneasy sleep that night had made her drowsy and snappish in the morning. She avoided all contact with Belinda, afraid that she might be unable to control herself and scream at her. However, this separation only increased Gwendoline's irritation, as she found herself pursued by constant thoughts of Belinda and Irene. In the end, Gwendoline had to admit that she was definitely jealous of the relationship between the two.

All these thoughts were running through her head constantly, even during class and while they prevented Gwendoline from falling asleep, they did not help her in any other way. Instead, they distracted Gwendoline from the class so much that she earned herself an evening detention with Mam'zelle Dupont.

During the detention, Gwendoline's thoughts were so unfocused that Mam'zelle Dupont let her go early, quite exasperated at Gwendoline's utter lack of ability, though she told Gwendoline to come again next week and better prepared. As soon as she was free from Mam'zelle's room, Gwendoline ran down to Belinda's atelier, but found it empty, as if it was never used that day. Belinda must have spent the time with Irene! There could be no mistake, Belinda was together with Irene, either wandering on the school grounds or in some secluded corner, laughing, having fun or maybe even…

Gwendoline forced herself to abandon that line of thought and went to search the school for her friends. They were not anywhere in the school buildings, so Gwendoline went outside and searched as much of the school grounds, as she could before tiring out and returning to the common room in low spirits.

Gwendoline gave no thoughts to her school work, as she sat down to rest her aching legs. Neither Belinda nor Irene entered the room in the time she had spent there. She finally saw them in the dining hall, where they greeted her quite cheerfully, but Gwendoline, still tired from her search and feeling neglected by Belinda, had been barely able to act civil.

Finally, the day was drawing to an end. In the North Tower Fourth Form dormitory, Gwendoline just climbed into her bed and closed her eyes, thankfully falling asleep quickly.

The next day was dreary and drizzly, which did not please Gwendoline at all. She suspected that all through the morning, her thoughts must have been mirrored on her face, since when the time came for lunch and the girls went to the dining hall, Belinda took a seat next to Gwendoline with a worried look on her face.

"Gwen, is there anything wrong?" asked Belinda.

Gwendoline sighed. She was rather happy that Belinda was worried about her, but still, even talking to Belinda felt right a chore. She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I guess it's just the gloomy weather." Gwendoline paused for a moment. "Thank you, Belinda."

This apparently satisfied Belinda, as she did not bother Gwendoline about her well being for several more days, while Gwendoline did her best to hide her moping from both Belinda and Irene, who also seemed to worry about her.

Gwendoline was angry at herself. All this avoiding Belinda only made Belinda spend more time with Irene, just the opposite of what Gwendoline wanted. Yet, she was retreating from Belinda, even if every moment Belinda spent with Irene only angered Gwendoline further. The unpleasant weather continued, and it only made Gwendoline more and more irritated by everything. Finally, she could take it no more.

She was standing in front of the door to Belinda's atelier. Gwendoline was almost sure Belinda was inside. At this time of the day, Belinda was always in her atelier, but that one time few days ago proved that there were exceptions. Moreover, Irene was practicing in the music room. Gwendoline knew it, since Irene had told her herself. Should she knock? Belinda was surely working on a sketch or painting, a knock would disturb her more than if Gwendoline had just entered quietly. But Gwendoline wanted to talk to Belinda right now, she did not want to wait until Belinda was finished with her work. Gwendoline had already raised her hand to knock on the door, but at the last moment, she decided to instead open the door and noiselessly slip instead.

As Gwendoline expected, Belinda was inside, working on another of her paintings. Belinda did not stop painting when Gwendoline entered and Gwendoline, though impatient, did not want to disturb her and potentially make her cross.

Gwendoline had instead sat down on the same chair she was always using in Belinda's atelier. She was so impatient, that she wanted to bite her nails, something she had not done for so long, that she did not remember the last time it happened. Was she actually fidgeting? Yes, she was. She tried to calm herself down, but after the last few days, it seemed hard, much harder than usual.

It seemed like eternity before Belinda finally finished her painting. Gwendoline thought it must have been hours, even if that was impossible. Finally, Belinda laid her tools aside and turned to Gwendoline. "Hello, Gwen," she said with a smile.

Belinda's smile made Gwendoline nervous. Or rather, even more nervous. "Hello, Belinda," she said, "I… need to talk to you."

Belinda frowned a little, probably upon seeing Gwendoline's expression, "What's the matter, Gwen? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing like that," said Gwendoline, "Belinda do you like me?"

"Oh Gwen," said Belinda, looking troubled, "You know I rather do."

"But not as much as you like Irene," said Gwendoline, "I know that."

"Gwen, Irene's my best friend," said Belinda, "I… I'm sorry, I can't help liking her as much as I do."

"I know that too," said Gwendoline, "and I'm jealous."

"Oh Gwen," said Belinda again and sighed.

Not knowing what to say next, Gwendoline gathered all her couragem moved closer to Belinda and quickly kissed her on the lips. A split second later, Gwendoline drew back, with her eyes closed, as she did not want to see the look on Belinda's face.

"Oh Gwen," said Belinda once more, sounding even more troubled than before.

Gwendoline opened her eyes and saw that Belinda looked decidedly confused, her cheeks reddened under the paint stains on her face.

"I think I may… like you very much," said Gwendoline, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, Gwen," said Belinda, "I just don't know what to say."

"I'm sorry," repeated Gwendoline, "I'm jealous and angry and sad and tired and…"

"Gwen, stop," said Belinda and Gwendoline did.

"I'm sorry," said Gwendoline.

Belinda sighed. "Gwen, I… rather like you too. You're not that that bad when you're trying, but this is just…" She paused. "I just don't want to hurt Irene."

Gwendoline was silent for a moment. After all, hurting Irene was the reason she wanted to get close to Belinda in the first place. But Gwendoline did not want to hurt Belinda. "I won't hurt Irene," she said.

"Promise?" said Belinda.

"Yes," said Gwendoline.

"Then I suppose we could give it a try," said Belinda and stepped forward to give Gwendoline a kiss on the cheek. Gwendoline felt herself flush at that exact moment.

Gwendoline smiled involuntarily. Instead of replying to Belinda with words, she just hugged her and gave her another short kiss on the lips. In that moment, all her hateful feelings were forgotten for a while and Gwendoline felt content.


End file.
